Stephanie Graves
FoxSportsWest.com
July 16, 2011

Check out FOXSportsWest.com’s gallery of the Los Angeles Laker Girl auditions on July 16.]

Carmageddon might have turned out to be a disappointment of near apocalyptic proportions, but you know what wasn’t? The 2011-12 Laker Girl auditions.

Not an over-exaggerated traffic jam, nor rain (if LA ever had any), nor NBA lockout could have stopped the nearly 500 young women from arriving bright and early at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo on Saturday.

The Lake Show must go on.

“It’s business as usual,” said Lisa Estrada, director of the Laker Girls. A former member of the squad herself, Estrada seems to enjoy two things: being positive and being brutally honest.

“In auditions, I don’t like to pick people who I couldn’t see putting on a uniform tomorrow,” Estrada told the possible future members. “We are looking for dancers who are family friendly, who possess great showmanship, who can perform in front of 20,000-plus people, and not only in an arena – we do personal appearances.”

When you have 16 world championships and Jack Nicholson as a season ticket holder, you’re allowed to be picky.

Some girls came wearing the Laker Girls’ iconic 1980s style white socks and sneakers, or purple and gold in order to give the judges a glimpse of what they might get if they were chosen. The first cut – which essentially cut the group in half – featured a grab bag of personalities.

We first met Lydia Mercado – a nursing student who’s been dancing for 15 years – last week at Clippers Spirit auditions. They dismissed her in the second round, but she still showed her spirit after making it past the first cut.

“These girls are really good. There’s a lot of competition right now, but I’m just feeling off the competition.”

Competition like 22-year-old professional dancer Marina Fabila.

A dancer since the age of the three, she’s dreamed of being a Laker Girl ever since her parents told her about the days when Paula Abdul wore the purple and gold. She just returned to her native Southern California after dancing professionally in New York with Ballet Hispanico and Steps on Broadway so she could be front and center, head-to-toe in Lakers colors and rhinestones this weekend.

“I’ve been a Los Angeles Lakers fan since day I was born,” Fabila said.

There were many a fresh-faced 18-year-olds or 20-somethings who claimed dancing as their passion and the Lakers as their team. Both seemed to be the prerequisites of the day.

Current Laker Girl Dara has been there, done that, and is doing it again. The Texas native was approached her senior year of high school at a dance competition about trying out for the one and only Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. Two days after she turned 18, she auditioned and became one of the famous southern belles of America’s Team. After relocating to Los Angeles two years ago, she’s now a southern (California) belle of a different kind.

“It’s more personal dancing inside of a basketball court. The people are closer. It’s not as big of a group of girls. That’s a little more fun because we’re closer.”

Saturday’s audition process was far from over when Dara and the rest of the veterans arrived. They only receive a get-out-of-jail-free card through the first cut, then they have to compete with the rest of the girls. At that point, there are several more dance routines – including a solo – and an interview before the final 20 are chosen.

“There is someone that always wants to be in your shoes,” said Dara.

Because not just anyone can cheer for Kobe Bryant.

Mike Trudell
Lakers.com
July 16, 2011

On Saturday morning at the Toyota Sports Center, more than 400 young ladies from here, there and everywhere gathered with the same, simple dream of becoming a Laker Girl.

The girls came from Los Angeles, from Alaska, from Ohio, and even Australia to show off their skills in front of a group of experienced judges led by Laker Girls Director Lisa Estrada.

“We have a terrific turn out here at auditions, and I’m very excited to go through the process of selecting our 2011-12 Laker Girls team,” said Estrada as things got started. “It’s a long day, but one that we look forward to to find girls that are great technical dancers with a lot of personality and ability to perform.”

The audition process is quite streamlined after years and years of Laker Girls auditions, usually going something like this:

1) Across the Floor: The performing opens with a simple 15-second routine that goes from baseline to baseline on the Lakers’ practice court. Former Laker Girl and choreographer Shannon Steen and Estrada had met earlier in the week to choreograph several routines for the day, and as Estrada and the rest of the judges looked on, Steen taught the routine with the assitance of several other former Laker Girls. The segment gives the judges a pretty good idea of whether or not the girls can dance well enough to advance past the first cut to choreography.

2) First Cut: Of the 400-plus dancers that began the morning, 192 girls remained after the Across the Floor portion. With three girls dancing at the same time, judges would approach and either cut off one’s bracelet (sorry!) or hand out a ticket to advance (congrats!). The 192 are then instructed to gather their resumes and headshot photos while getting a number (1 through 192, naturally).

3) Choreography (Dance 1): With Britney Spears’s “Till the World Ends” blaring in the background, the girls first learned a routine from one of the choreographers, then split up into groups of three to perform the routine in front of the judges. Incidentally, with the 192 being split up in thirds, the judges saw 64 separate threesomes, lasting roughly 43 seconds each. Take out the time between dances when a group shuttled in and out, and you have (literally) 46 straight minutes of Britney playing on repeat.

4) Second Cut: After each girl completed her dance to “Till the World Ends,” she gathered around the perimeter of the practice court to await her fate. Meanwhile, the judges assembled in the media room to tally their marks. Those that scored or performed well enough to move on were then announced by Estrada on the microphone. If one’s number wasn’t called, it meant the day was over, her wristband to be cut. After the final number was called, several young ladies stayed around to either thank Estrada or ask for tips on what might have been, though she’s not the one making the decisions at that point.

“There are so many great girls out there that we just can’t keep, and I get a little bummed when we may miss out on someone,” said Estrada. “But I let my judges make thoses calls, and the system works well. They know exactly what this organization looks for, what I look for in a team member and everything usually works out well.”

5) Choreography (Dance 2): A similar process to the first routine followed, this time with more of a “novelty” style dance to “Mayhem,” performed by the remaining 111 dancers. The routine was designed to draw out more of a fun, performance style from the young ladies to see who had flair and who didn’t, ideally to reveal the best personalities in the group.

6) Third Cut: As with the previous cut, three girls went at once, the judges taking notes, before gathering once again to compare scores. Afterwards, Estrada again grabbed the microphone, cutting the 111 remaining down to 54 dancers.

7) Solo Dances: The girls are informed that they have about 15 minutes to prepare a solo routine to “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO, playing on repeat in the background. Before performing one-by-one, each girl takes a moment to introduce herself to the judges, covering her name, hometown and the reasons why she wants to be a Laker Girl.

8) Final (Saturday) Cut: After a long day of dancing, the 400-plus is whittled down to only 31 (elated) dancers, who could finally breath a sigh of relief and share a smile after a pressure-packed day.

It’s not quite the end of the road, however, as the remaining girls will next go through interviews with Estrada from Monday through Wednesday, and then return for a final audition on Thursday evening. At that point, roughly 22 dancers are expected to become the 2011-12 Laker Girls.

New uniform photos and profiles are now online. Click here to learn more about the ladies on the team.

A new, year-long community initiative for the Buccaneers Cheerleaders began on Wednesday with a visit to Busch Gardens with young friends from The Centre for Girls and Hope Children’s Home
Buccaneers.com
Jul 10, 2011

It takes a full-time commitment to be a Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleader, but the rewards can be enormous.

The commitment, of course, is necessary to keep up with the countless practices, rehearsals, obligations and team events that comprise the job of a cheerleader. The main reward is just as obvious: Performing in front of tens of thousands of fans every game day.

Sometimes, however, the rewards come in smaller packages…and seem all the more meaningful because of it.

Such was the case this week, when a very caring group of Buccaneers cheerleaders made a difference in the lives of more than 20 young women in search of guidance and support.

On Wednesday, 15 members of the Buccaneer squad visited Busch Gardens in Tampa with groups from The Centre for Girls and Hope Children’s Home for a fun day of entertainment and education. The event kicked off a year-long commitment by the team to support the two charities, a new initiative aimed at developing strong relationships between the cheerleaders and community agencies in Tampa Bay.

“Today is actually the first day that the cheerleaders are hanging out with the girls, and you can tell immediately that they’re lighting up and that they’re just really excited to have these women helping them and being there with them,” said Linzy Wilson, director of development and community relations for The Centre. “And the fact that this isn’t just one day, but that they’re going to be volunteering every month with the girls, I can tell it really means a lot to them. They’re all really excited about the opportunity.”

There are five captains on the Buccaneers Cheerleaders squad, and this offseason each captain selected a charity on which the cheerleaders could focus their community service. The Centre and Hope Children’s Home were two of the nonprofits that were chosen, and both are unique groups that could benefit from the cheerleaders’ efforts.

“I think it shows a lot for the cheerleaders that they’re getting out in the community and they’re doing a lot to help these girls,” said Wilson. “Quite a few of [the girls] are at risk, and at that 10-to-18-year-old age group where they’re right in that transition to adulthood, so to have these older women to look up to is great.”

The Centre for Girls is a program within The Centre, a nonprofit organization that provides counseling, employment preparation, substance abuse treatment, and summer programs for at-risk girls. Since 1968, Hope Children’s Home has rescued nearly 5,000 children between the ages of two and 18 who have suffered from abuse and neglect. The charity provides guidance and support to help them reach their full potential as productive, responsible and caring members of society.

“The girls seem really excited to be hanging out with us,” said Holly Sellers, a fifth-year cheerleader and one of the team captains. “We know we are really kind of role models to them, so for us to be able to come out and be a good role model and be able to remind them that it’s important to stay in school, it’s important to stay healthy, while we’re doing fun stuff, it’s a great thing.”

On Wednesday, the girls from the two agencies were able to have fun and learn a few things about nature at the same time. The first mode of learning, a safari ride throughout the park’s Serengeti Plain, included lions, rhinos, zebras and a variety of wildlife found only in Africa. The most memorable portion of the trek involved an up-close-and-personal encounter with giraffes, where the group discovered firsthand that the tall animal’s favorite, and often only food, is lettuce.

“That was cool,” said 14-year-old Hannah Lowe. “I’ve never fed a giraffe, so it was a really cool experience.”

Next, the girls took part in a forensic lesson on evidence and DNA as part of the Animal Detective Agency. There, they were given the task of solving a faux crime by analyzing clues left by animals throughout the park. The eventual culprit: a lemur, the rare primate found only on the island of Madagascar, who showed off its exotic colors for the group with the help of an experienced staff attendant.

“To be outside with the animals and be with a bunch of people and your friends is a fun way of learning,” added Lowe. “Very fun, very interactive, very up-close. You just get to see a lot of stuff that you typically don’t get to do.”

The group also stopped by the Egypt habitat, where they saw one of the park’s newest animals, a cheetah, dash up and down a dirt path at blistering speed.

Of course, a trip to a theme park wouldn’t be complete without the opportunity to enjoy a few of the attractions. Following lunch, the cheerleaders and girls set out on a mission to tackle some of the park’s fiercest rides. The group enjoyed Kumba, Phoenix and the popular SheiKra roller coaster, which boast hair-raising 90-degree drops. SheiKra had the visitors screaming, but there were plenty of smiles to be seen, as well.

“I almost freaked when they picked me to go, because this is the first time hanging out with the Buccaneers cheerleaders,” said Francheska Gonzalez, a participant from The Centre for Girls. “This was a big deal for me and my dad. My dad started freaking out and asking me all different questions, and said, ‘You better get a picture with one of them.’ They’re just like normal people, like you and me. I’m going to tell my dad everything, every step that I took. I will tell him that I took pictures, got all of their autographs – it was a blast.”

Every year, the Buccaneers cheerleaders make hundreds of appearances for nonprofit organizations locally, nationally and abroad. The 34-member squad, which includes athletes, businesswomen and full-time college students, regularly volunteers throughout the Bay area to promote the Buccaneers and give back to the community. The cheerleaders’ outreach efforts include hosting cheer clinics, performing for our nation’s armed forces and appearing at team community relations events throughout the year.

Wednesday’s event proved memorable for both parties involved.

“We all love going out there and performing in front of people, but this is the main reason why we do this,” said rookie cheerleader Kasey Harrington. “It’s a good experience and it’s nice to know that we’re really interacting with these girls and getting to know them, and hopefully making some kind of positive impact in their lives.

“When you hear Tampa Bay Buccaneers, you don’t want to just think about the football team and the NFL. You want to think that these people are really coming into our community and making a difference.”

Titansonline.com
Jul 1, 2011

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Former Titans cheerleader Julia Nicholson, a five-year veteran and line captain, was recently announced on the 2011 class of Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30 honorees.

The list was announced by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30 recognizes the city’s most active young professionals and philanthropists while benefiting the CFF. Honorees were nominated by co-workers, friends and family for their charitable and professional endeavors. The top 30 honorees were then selected by the Top 30 Under 30 selection committee during the month of June.

Julia also represented the Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders at the 2011 Pro Bowl in Hawaii this past season.

“We are proud to have had wonderful honoree classes in previous years. This year is no different,” said Lesley McMahan, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s director of development. “The caliber of nominees in the 2011 class is astounding.”

The honorees, who were informed of their selection this week, will be acknowledged at the Top 30 Under 30 event at The Pinnacle at Symphony Place in downtown Nashville on Sept. 24. The event, open to the public, will highlight each honoree’s accomplishments, feature silent and live auctions, and celebrate the CFF’s mission of curing cystic fibrosis.

“The culminating event at The Pinnacle is an opportunity for the community to come together to support both the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and these 30 wonderful young professionals,” said Top 30 Under 30 co-chairman Tim Bewley. “Nashville has already fallen in love with the party – it was named “Best First-Time Event” in 2009 and “Best Young Event” in 2010 by nFocus Magazine. We expect 2011 to be no different with such an impressive list of honorees.”

Julia began her career with the Titans in 2006 after graduating from the University of Alabama with a B.A. in Communications. During her tenure as a Titans Cheerleader, Julia traveled to Mexico, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, and Seattle representing the Titans’ organization. She was also a line captain for three years and voted the team’s Miss Congeniality during the annual awards banquet.

Off the field, Julia has been successful entrepreneur, having launched her own children’s accessory business, “Southern Jules” while also teaching children’s dance classes at a local studio. She is active in the community, volunteering annually for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Nashville, Rescue Mission, the ARK 31 Foundation, and many other charitable organizations.

Julia and her husband, Tandy, also foster dogs at their west Nashville home.

Visit www.nashvilletop30.org to view the full list of honorees or to learn more about the event in September.

Does anyone else feel like they really need a vacation?

Lakers.com

On June 28, a group of roughly 150 prospective dancers gathered for a workshop run by Laker Girls Director Lisa Estrada, with an eye towards the team’s official auditions on Saturday, July 16 at the Toyota Sports Center.

It was the second such workshop held by the Laker Girls, with the intention of giving young ladies a good idea about what to expect at auditions.

“I wish they would have had these types of things when I was a Laker Girl,” said Estrada. “It gives you more insight into the process, (particularly) if you’re just out of high school or early in college when you haven’t really had experience auditioning.”

In addition to the dancing, Estrada takes the girls through a Q & A session and offers a critique of respective performances.

“These are girls that want to learn, want to work and want to know what to expect,” she explained. “They get critiqued, and then they also get to learn from a few choreographers that actually choreograph for the team. It gets the bugs out, and is like a mock audition so that the girls know what to expect not just with the Laker Girls but really with any professional sports dance team audition.”

[Click for a photo gallery from the workshop.]

FOXSportsWest.com
July 10, 2011

Check out FOXSportsWest.com’s gallery of the Los Angeles Kings Ice Crew auditions on Saturday.

The Beach Boys first sang about California Girls in 1965 and most recently Katy Perry belted out a song about the topic. You could listen to both and get lost in lyrics about beaches and palm trees, bikinis and even Daisy dukes. You won’t hear much about shoveling snow or ice skating…

Well the LA Kings Ice Crew is showing that these California girls can certainly skate.

The LA Kings Ice Crew, it sounds like a posse or just another attempt to take the beautiful women of the region and turn them into another marketing ploy. In a town where the phrase “not just another pretty face” is tossed around more than it is actually true, the Ice Crew has managed to actually make it a reality.

According to Director of Game Presentation and Events Brooklyn Boyars, “ice girls” became a trend in the league around a decade ago and the Kings hopped on board six years ago. It wasn’t until three years ago that they created the multi-dimensional team that exists today. Before you think these girls are simply cheerleaders on ice, guess again.

“Our team is very functional. They aren’t just there for decoration. They aren’t just the pretty girls in pretty outfits,” Boyars said. “We’ve got a co-ed team. They are very interactive and they do almost 300 appearances a year in the community. They are active in raising funds for our Kings Care Foundation.”

Did you say co-ed?

Yes sir, there are young men on this team too. Traditionally, when the ladies take the ice to shovel away the excess snow or to pick up the hats thrown on the ice after a hat trick, the men stay in the crowd taking care of promotions and contests. But what’s tradition anyway? Two of those young men decided they wanted to show their boss they could skate well enough to take the ice.

“I can’t fall,” said Michael Timoney. He was a season ticket holder in 2006-07 who thought it might be fun to take his fandom to the next level and join the Ice Crew.

Actually the first qualification for any Ice Crew member, male or female, is a love of the game.

“I grew up with Hockey my whole life. My dad use to play for the Flyers and I thought it would be perfect fit for me to work with the NHL and do something fun at the same time,” said Carrlyn Bathe, who has been a member for the past three years and is re-auditioning for a fourth.

She’s not alone in her hockey background. One look at contestant No. 5 revealed a skater that’s been around a hockey rink before. The beautiful blonde turned out to be a returning member by the name of Nikki who former LA Kings player Daryl Evans – the current radio commentator for the Kings and who put the ladies through their skating drills on Saturday — says is a good enough goalie to play with the boys.

Believe it or not though, you don’t have to be a near professional skater or former ice princess to try out. Because the Crew’s first responsibilities include community involvement and marketing they often take men and women who are personable and reliable, but are used to dry land and teach them how to skate before the season begins. Just be ready to work. Remember, you have to skate next to Nikki.

Debbie, the past year’s Ice Crew captain who recently retired to take a more behind the scenes role, emphasized what the team can mean to its members.

“The past few years I was on the team and we were like family so I’d like to see someone come in who deserves a chance at that amazing experience.”

Around 75 women showed up to try to land only a handful of spots open for this year’s Ice Crew despite the fact that the Anaheim Ducks held their Power Player auditions the same day, a rare occurrence according to Debbie.

After several rounds of skating drills (on hockey skates specifically – the toe pick on figure skates tears the ice up and puts players in danger) and an interview, only the men and women with the right combination of skills will be able to represent the Kings for the upcoming season.

And for that year they will be the Kings–and Queens–of Los Angeles hockey.

The Marlins Mermaids are featured on SportsIllustrated.com. Click here to check it out!

Chicago Rush
July 11, 2011

CHICAGO (July 14, 2011) — The Chicago Rush is pleased to announce that Adrenaline Rush dancer Brittanie has been selected by arena football fans to represent the Chicago Rush on the AFL Dream Team sponsored by Aaron’s at ArenaBowl XXIV. She will be performing during the game as well as making numerous appearances throughout the week leading up to the ArenaBowl on August 12th.

“I’m very, very excited and thankful to have been selected by the fans,” says Brittanie. “It’s a great accomplishment to represent Chicago.”

Brittanie is a second-year member of the dance team and lives in the suburbs of Chicago. Off the field she works as a teacher as well as a bartender.

“I am so happy for Brittanie,” said Adrenaline Rush Dance Coordinator, Gloria Esposito. “She is extremely deserving of this recognition and will represent us well.”

The Aaron’s “AFL Dream Team” is comprised of 18 dancers from each AFL team who will perform at ArenaBowl XXIV. 36 dancers competed for the available spots as fans voted for one dancer per team at ArenaFootball.com. The dancers with the most votes were named members of 2011’s Dream Team.